MBBS admission for Freedom Fighter quota students on hold amid controversy

The process of admitting students who passed the freedom fighter quota in the MBBS program for the 2024-25 academic year has been temporarily paused. 

This includes students applying to both government and private medical colleges. 

The Health Education Department has decided to hold off on these admissions until further instructions are given, after an emergency meeting regarding the matter.

Professor Dr. Rubina Yasmin, the Additional Director General of the Health Education Department, confirmed the decision on Monday afternoon. 

The suspension will stay in place until the next meeting of the Interim Government’s Advisory Council, which will make further decisions.

The controversy around the quota began after a meeting last Thursday, where the Advisory Council discussed the issue of reserved seats for children of freedom fighters, martyred freedom fighters, and war heroines in medical and dental colleges. 

The council’s next meeting is expected to bring clarity on this matter.

The entrance exam for MBBS was held nationwide on January 17, with a total of 131,729 candidates. Of these, 60,095 candidates passed, which is a pass rate of 45.62%. 

A total of 269 seats were reserved for the freedom fighter quota, with 193 candidates qualifying.

However, following the results, complaints began circulating that some candidates who scored lower were selected under the freedom fighter quota.

Protests broke out at the Central Shaheed Minar on the same night by students from Dhaka University and Dhaka Medical College, demanding the annulment of the results. 

Another round of protests took place on January 20. The Health Education Department responded to these protests by holding a meeting to address the issue.

In a recent statement, Professor Dr. Syedur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Chief Advisor of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, clarified that the decision to cancel the freedom fighter quota in MBBS admissions was made by the government, not the Ministry of Health.

The Health Education Department had already called in the students who passed the freedom fighter quota for document verification, which was carried out on January 27, 28, and 29.